Gorn
The Gorn are a warp-capable, bipedal reptilian species. History and culture According to Orion privateer Harrad-Sar in 2154, the Gorn government, known as the Gorn Hegemony, "brew the finest Meridor in the five star systems". ( ) First Contact with the Gorn took place in 2267, when they attacked the Federation colony on Cestus III. The Gorn saw the strike as a preemptive move, since they regarded the Cestus star system as part of their territory. The pursued a Gorn starship from Cestus III into a previously unexplored region of the galaxy, near 2466 PM. There, both starships were immobilized by the Metrons, who transported James T. Kirk and the Gorn captain to a planet's surface, where the two captains were instructed to settle their differences in a "contest ... of ingenuity against ingenuity, brute strength against brute strength". Although the Gorn captain was physically stronger than Kirk, Kirk was able to construct a makeshift cannon out of materials on the planet's surface and defeat the Gorn. When Kirk showed mercy to his defeated opponent, the Metrons sent both captains back to their respective ships and transported the Enterprise out of the area. ( ) While on the Enterprise in 2268, Benjamin Sisko admitted to Jadzia Dax that he would like to ask Kirk about the fight with the Gorn captain during this encounter. ( ) A Gorn served on the ruling council of the pocket dimension Elysia, in the late 23rd century. It is unknown how long members of his species had been trapped in that universe. ( ) would seem to suggest that by 2371 the dispute for the planet might be resolved.}} Physical characteristics Gorn are a cold-blooded, reptilian species with green, rubbery skin and an average height of approximately two meters. They tend to be many times stronger than most humanoids, albeit slower and less agile but with greater stamina and, like most cold-blooded species, prefer warmer temperatures. Some Humans underestimate the Gorn because of an opinion that all reptiles are less intelligent than mammals. This is unwise, as the Gorn are at least as intelligent as Humans. ( ) Their ears are simple holes on the sides of their skulls, while their mouths boast an impressive array of sharp teeth and their hands and feet possess vicious claws. Mirror Phlox quipped that the Gorn were comparable to that of the extinct Velociraptor, based on one Gorn's size and bite radius. ( ) Some Gorn display eyes that are silvery and faceted, much like the compound eyes of insects, while others have typical humanoid eyes complete with pupils. , the Gorn captain is shown to have a primary set of outer eyelids that function much like those of a typical humanoid.}} Technology As of the late 23rd century, much of the Gorn technology was on par with Starfleet's. Some of their ships were so fast that a starship would have to push its engines to dangerous speeds to overtake them. Their weapons were described as "like phasers, only worse" by a survivor of the Cestus attack. This description may have been colored by fear, as they were later described as disruptors. Gorn shields were capable of taking a full barrage of phaser and photon torpedo fire with little or no appreciable damage. They had transporter technology and possessed voice duplicator equipment at least good enough to fool a casual listener. Gorn ground tactical units utilized powerful disruptors, capable of completely disintegrating targets at ranges of between 1,200 and 1,500 yards. Their sensor technology may have been less effective than that of the Federation, as they had some difficulty targeting the landing party during their ambush at Cestus III. They were able to home in on signals from a tricorder, allowing them to "bracket" the user with fire. ( ) Starship classes * Gorn warship ( ) * Gorn starship ( ) Mirror universe In the mirror universe, a Gorn named Slar was a slave master working for the Tholian Assembly. He was in charge of the workers assigned aboard the until the crew of the ''Enterprise'' took it over. Slar was seen as untrusting of Terrans and vicious when it came to dealing with them. He was ultimately killed by Jonathan Archer. ( ) People * Slar (mirror universe) - slave master of salvage team ( ) * Unnamed Gorn Appendices Appearances * * * Background *The Gorn's costume was designed by Wah Chang, who also created the M-113 creature (aka the salt vampire). *In 2003, John Logan said in an interview with Star Trek: Communicator that Riker's bachelor party in would feature "three Andorians, two Tellarites and a Gorn". The final version of the movie did not feature this scene however, meaning that , , and remain the only appearances of the Gorn to date. *A Gorn was among the individuals Barney Burman and his company Proteus Make-up FX Team created for the Rura Penthe prison scenes in . These scenes were cut from the final release. Apocrypha The FEDERATION SPACE board game, published by Task Force Games, indicated that a Gorn confederation formed when three separate but nearly identical sentient species, each having developed on a different planet (Gdhar I, Gdhar II, and Gdhar III, presumably in the Gdhar system) joined into a single political entity (see also Star Fleet Universe). The graphic novel The Gorn Crisis is the story of Jean-Luc Picard's attempt to ally with the Gorn in the Dominion War despite a Gorn civil war. The novel Articles of the Federation followed up on this and stated that the Gorn fought in the Dominion War on the Federation's side. The crew of the helped to convince them to join the fight against the Dominion. In A Singular Destiny, the Gorn joined the Typhon Pact ( ) - an alliance including the Romulan Star Empire, the Breen Confederacy, the Tholian Assembly, the Tzenkethi and the Kinshaya ( ) which was set up in competition with the powers of the Khitomer Accords. Video Games The Gorn are playable races in several Star Trek video games including: * Star Trek: Starfleet Command. * Star Trek: Tactical Assault. * Star Trek Online. The Gorn are also a playable race, and allies of the Klingon Empire, in Star Trek Online. When designing a Gorn character, only the male gender is selectable. Gorn are also the enemies faced during many Federation missions, and some employ a rock throwing attack reminiscent of the battle between Kirk and the Gorn Captain in the TOS episode . Furthermore, in Star Trek Online, the Gorn engaged in late 24th century war against the Klingon Empire. The Klingons eventually prevailed, allowing the Gorn to maintain their rule over their space, but in exchange made allies. According to the game manual for Star Trek: Bridge Commander, the Gorn were allied with the Dominion during the Dominion War. The Star Trek Online novel The Needs of the Many reveals that the difference between the Gorn seen in "The Original Series" and "Enterprise" is part of a cast system: The silver-eyed, five-fingered Gorn are from a warrior caste, while the gold-eyed, three-fingered Gorn are members of a technological caste/ External links * * de:Gorn es:Gorn fr:Gorn it:Gorn ja:ゴーン Category:Species